I did not get much opportunity to see the city during this trip. Time was spent in the downtown area. When I did get to check out the city, I brought my new digital camera, a Sony CyberShot DSC-H2, along with me.
I took a few pictures before and after lunch at the Ipanema Grill located near the Waterfront Park area and the famous Pike Place Seattle Fish Market. The atmosphere was modern, and, if you are lucky, you may get a good view of the water. The food was good, the service was adequate, and the crowd was small. Like in other Brazilian restaurants, the television was set on a soccer game.
They served that "meat on a stick" (Rodizio style) which Brazilian restaurants are famous for. I wasn't in the mood to eat all that food, but I decided on a steak (carne) sandwich with calypso sauce that was filling and quicker to make. Also, I would recommend "mesa de frios" (cold table) along with the sandwich. The mesa de frios was an assortment of cold foods, such as vegetables, salads, and cold meat appetizers.
I had tried my first can of Guarana, an Amazon fruit soda, common in Brazil. The taste reminded me of something between a spicy ginger ale and a mountain dew. It had the same coloring as ginger ale. I would recommend it.
I was surprised about the caffeine content. It is reported to have the same amount or more compared to other energy drinks.
Between sessions, I got an opportunity to take a few shots of the artwork outside of this gallery. The statues were quite interesting and bizarre. In a busy section of the city, these pieces of artwork were snuggled behind walls.
A number of obelisk-like objects and other artwork were hidden in the gallery courtyard. It looked like a nice place for a repast or hide from the world for at least a few moments. I wished that I had more time to explore this area before I rushed to find a place to eat for lunch.
Although Seattle is a major city in the Northwest, I didn't get an impression of 'busyness' while I was there, as I would expect in other major US cities, especially on the East Coast where I usually sense that 'busyness' feeling. I didn't notice this when I was here last time.
Pretty strange and unique characters, eh?
I thought they looked out of place at first, but I liked the idea where strange things stand out from the typical. They remind me of some out of this world aliens in the strange land of caffeine, software updates and Northwest dampness.
Question: what would you call a local Seattle citizen, Seattlite or Seattlonian or something else?
One thing I noticed about Seattle locals, they like to talk quite often and talk quickly in the morning. Maybe it's all that coffee in the morning? When the day progresses, they tend to talk less and have less energy.
This is definitely the most caffeinated place in the US. So many coffee shops. They also put coffee beans in their desserts. While at dinner in a popular Italian restaurant near the Convention Center, I ordered an Italian Vanilla gelato with an espresso sauce on the side. It was quite different.
A few night images from the port area in Seattle
After a long day at the conference, my co-workers and I decided to check out Ivar's Fish Bar at the suggestion of the Seattle Convention Center concierge. It seems to be a popular place for both locals and tourists to catch the ferries and boats and watch the water while they eat.
Ivar's is known for its chowder. At least two locals said that to me.
The food was decent, I ordered from their specials menu, the monkfish, and my colleagues chose various seafood dinners. A couple folks did order the clam chowder. When our food got to our table, we noticed that the chowder was very thick. You could almost make a utensil stand up if left alone in the bowl.
I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea. My colleague E__ did not enjoy her dining experience at Ivar's. It was too touristy for her, I guess. She wanted to try another place for dinner, but we didn't get a chance of a reservation.
We walked by this restaurant located off the Seattle port area. It looked like a busy place to eat. As we walked along the street, we noticed that many of the city's trees aligned on the sidewalks were decorated with Christmas lights. We wondered if the city had this done for the whole year or were these trees decorated for the holidays. Whatever the reason, it was a nice touch for our Seattle night walking experience.
After eating dinner at Ivar's, we take an uphill walk back toward the hotel for a nightcap or two. As you can guess, Seattle nights can be quite cold. It's obvious why folks drink so much coffee here. It can get quite cold and damp.
I hope to post more Seattle pics later.
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